Betrayal

a high-octane international thriller from the author of The Englishman

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Pub Date 6 Jan 2022 | Archive Date 31 Jan 2022
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Description

Dan Raglan, former Foreign Legion fighter, alias The Englishman, returns. The new high-octane international thriller from David Gilman.

Someone's trying to start a war. And Raglan's just walked into the kill zone.

It has been many years since Dan Raglan served in the French Foreign Legion, but the bonds forged in adversity are unbreakable and when one of his comrades calls for help, Raglan is duty-bound to answer.

An ex-legionnaire, now an intelligence officer at the Pentagon, disappears. He leaves only this message: should he ever go missing, contact Raglan. But Raglan's not the only one looking for the missing man. From the backstreets of Marseilles, Raglan finds himself following a trail of death that will lead him to Florida, to a Vietnam vet in Washington D.C., and into the heart of a bitter battle in the upper echelons of the US intelligence community.

Pursued by both the CIA and a rogue female FBI agent, Raglan's search will place him in the cross hairs of an altogether more lethal organisation. He finds himself in the midst of deadly conspiracy, and on a journey to a fatal confrontation deep in the Honduran rainforest.

Reviewers on Betrayal:

'Well plotted, believable, and Gilman's ace at bringing locations to life.' The Sun
'Hard to put down.' Daily Express
'A masterfully crafted thriller that grips from the first page to the explosive last.' Sunday Express
'The hero is a veritable one-man army – think Lee Child's Jack Reacher, except English – combining a lethal resilience with a fiery determination to see justice served.' Newslanes
'A vividly intense spy thriller overflowing with courage, resourceful smarts, and a whole host of furious combative encounters.' LoveReading

Reviewers on The Englishman series:

'A sweat-inducing tour de force.' The Times
'An author at the zenith of his powers.' Peter James
'Raglan is nicely complex: an action man with inner depths.' Financial Times
'Full of thrills.' Literary Review
'The pulse-pounding pace just never lets up.' Peter May

Dan Raglan, former Foreign Legion fighter, alias The Englishman, returns. The new high-octane international thriller from David Gilman.

Someone's trying to start a war. And Raglan's just walked into...


Available Editions

EDITION Ebook
ISBN 9781838931469
PRICE US$8.49 (USD)
PAGES 544

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Average rating from 17 members


Featured Reviews

AMAZING! this book was gripping, I loved it! it took us to so many places and areas of fear and brutality not to mention....betrayal! so much intrigue, how they mighty fall. Give me more of David Gilmans work please!!

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As in the first Raglan novel, this is a fine espionagem adventure novel, with a engaging protagonist. This novel amps up the suspense, and almost begs to be adapted to a film or mini tv series. A perfect summer reading!

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I initially read The Englishman as part of a @tandemcollective readalong and even though it wasn’t my usual cup of tea genre-wise I thoroughly enjoyed it. When I saw the sequel on @netgalley I knew I had to read it and I wasn’t disappointed. It’s very very action packed, one minute in Washington DC and the next minute in the crocodile infested waters of Honduras. I love that Raglan is put on a pedestal by the author, somehow aloof with lightning speed and agility but in other aspects tenderly human (his relationship with Steve gets me). The book ends abruptly and I was annoyed at first and then remembered that this is why I love Raglan. The cat and mouse game that drags the reader in, hook, line and sinker.

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC in return for an honest review. Betrayal is out now 🙌

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Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A well-written book, full of twists and turns. I'm so looking forward to the next book in this series.

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Dan Raglan - The Englishman - is back and even better too in this exciting action packed tale of derring-do.

But this is far more than a one dimensional action thriller as the characters are well developed and credible as he is sent to find an old friend who has gone missing and ends up in a drug and arms war.

I really enjoyed this and the pages sped by.

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I absolutely loved The Englishman, the book that first introduced the world to ex-French Foreign Legion soldier and all-round action man, Dan Raglan, so you can imagine my excitement when I learned that a follow-up was on the way.

The description of Betrayal as a ‘high-octane international thriller’ is spot-on. The action comes thick and fast. If Raglan’s not engaged in deadly combat, he’s either preparing for it or recovering from it. Raglan is seemingly indomitable; the ‘kill zone’ being a place he knows all too well. As one character remarks to him, ‘Dead people appear on a regular basis when you’re around’. He’s also clever, tech-savvy, super-fit, has eyes in the back of his head and is adept at using any sort of weaponry you care to imagine. A man of many talents, he can pilot a plane, speak any number of languages, spot a security camera a mile off, find his way through a crocodile-infested mangrove swamp and even perform minor surgery on himself. And who else do you know who stores bullet fragments in his tooth mug?

In the hands of the author, Raglan is not some sort of robotic killing machine. He’s also mortal and carries traumatic memories of things he’s seen – and done. He’s a steadfast friend and demonstrates an unbreakable loyalty to the comrades who served alongside him in the French Foreign Legion. As he says, ‘the Legion was family’ and their motto ‘the mission is sacred’ is one he lives by. There are occasional glimpses of a softer side too even if he admits ‘I don’t have anybody tearing themselves apart over me’.

At this point I have a confession to make: I’ve developed rather a crush on Raglan. I know it’s unlikely, and I’m aware I might have formidable competition, but if there’s ever a vacancy for a Mrs. Raglan, count me in. (I hope my husband isn’t reading this.) Apart from anything else, I’d make sure he had a good supply of his favourite dark blue T-shirts and I’d even tend to a wound on his upper thigh. (I really hope my husband isn’t reading this.)

The pace of the book is intense and, despite being over 500 pages, the short chapters help the story move along like a whirlwind. A plot that involves people in positions of power engaging in activity that circumvents government oversight in order to achieve their own political ends, well that could never happen could it? Although, wait a minute… And don’t worry if you don’t know your DIA from your FBI or your CIA, all you really need to know is that there are bad guys out there – really, really bad guys – planning to do all sorts of unspeakable things and Raglan is out to stop them.

Those not completely obsessed by the thought of Raglan stripped to the waist or all sweaty after a punishing two mile run (I know, divorce papers arriving in the post any day) need not worry, your thirst for all-out action scenes will be fully quenched. The author serves up one bone-crunching, brutal and bloody scene after another making you wonder just how Raglan has survived so long. But has he met his match when he encounters a deadly opponent just as driven and ruthless as he is? I’m afraid you’re going to have to read the book to find out.

If you’ve survived reading this Raglan love-fest, I think it will be apparent that I absolutely loved Betrayal. To my mind, it’s everything you could wish for in an action thriller. (By the way, check out the author’s website to see a photograph taken during a private tour of the Pentagon that formed part of his research for the book.)

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When Dan Raglan gets a call to say his friend and former legionnaire has gone missing he knows he must find out why.
Thrust into the world of counterintelligence Raglan follows a trail from France to the USA then onto the jungles of Honduras where he discovers a conspiracy that could cause a war.
With every step he takes he is badgered by the CIA and a rogue FBI agent, but he is never one to back down and he will do what ever it takes to save his friend and stop a catastrophe from happening.
In this, the second instalment of The Englishman series, David Gilman has struck gold. With a great story and the author’s superb penmanship the reader will be in for a treat.
The book is a high-octane thriller that you can’t put down and has a main character that is relentless, fearless and just bloody brilliant.
If you like Reacher or Bourne you will absolutely love Raglan.
Simply superb!

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What a brilliant series this is turning out to be!

Serge “Bird” Sokol has sent Dan Raglan a message asking that he help Jacques Allard – like Raglan and Sokol – a veteran of the French Foreign Legion. Sokol is the only person who has Raglan’s contact details. Unfortunately, he reaches Allard too late, someone has murdered him. After further investigating, Raglan realizes that this is an international drug and arms smuggling problem with many of the co-conspirators employed by the Pentagon. It’s going to be a case filled with danger and we are left wondering if Raglan will manage to survive with so many so-called “friends” within the Pentagon feeding him information.

David Gilman is an extraordinary author who can change direction from giving us the fantastic series covering the 100-year war to the Boer War and now a hero taking on international terrorism. I’ve followed his writing for years and read several of his books. I’m loving this current series for the brutal battles that Raglan must usually take on singlehandedly. Raglan comes across as a kind man to friends but deadly to enemies. Fair but a ruthless defender of justice. David Gilman congratulations on a great new series. I look forward to reading the next book in this series.

Rony

Elite Reviewing Group received a copy of the book to review.

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Action packed conspiracy thriller that races from Paris to Florida to Washington D.C and on to the jungles of Honduras. An ex Foreign Legionnaire Raglan receives a message about a missing ex comrade and with the covert help of MI5 begins his investigation. He is shadowed initially in Florida by an FBI agent, loses her when he moves on to DC and from there the body count rises. A wildly exciting tale the pace never stops all the way to an end with an enticing question mark!

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Raglan aka The Englishman is back in Betrayal by David Gilman. I really liked the first book and this one is even better. You don't mess with ex legionnaires, they will help each other any way they can. Usually they send for the Englishman. This time he goes to America to find an old friend who is missing, only to stumble into an elaborate scheme to sell armaments through the drug trade. Wherever he goes people seem to die violently. Who is doing the killing and can he trust his contact at the Pentagon? There is a lot of suspense and action in this book and it's well written as usually. I really like this author and will read more of his work. It is always fun finding a new author and a new kind of main character. I must as always thank @netgalley @headofzeus for giving me this advance copy and David Gilman for writing this fantastic book. #Betrayal #NetGalley

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Raglan, The Englishman, returns in Betrayal which is the follow up book by David Gilman and it is another fast moving page turner that also manages to have an excellent underlying storyline which doesn’t get swamped or overwhelmed by the action

If you enjoyed the first book then this is at least just as good. If you haven’t then go dig out The Englishman. You’ll enjoy both books.

Recommended

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What can I say - I even read this whilst I was meant to be watching football ! The first book in this series was great - this, in my opinion, is even better. Whilst the outline plot has been done on numerous occasions this book draws you in from start to finish, has you wanting your own revenge, and creates an alter ego that puts you one step behind the main man Raglan throughout the “mission”. I think I lost weight reading this one. Whilst many reviews will describe the story I prefer, in this instance, to describe the effect - intense!

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The second book of the Englishman series (I highly recommend the first but it isn't necessary to read it before this one) takes former English Foreign Legion soldier to the US to investigate an ex-legionnaires disappearance. A highly enjoyable novel with great supporting characters, a number of enjoyable twists and a main character I hope to see more of in future books. Both an author and character I want to read more from and about. Highly enjoyable..

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This is the sort of book that Andy McNab and Chris Ryan wish they could write.
We were introduced to Dan Raglan in the previous book “The Englishman”, an ex-French Legionnaire with a dangerous focus on getting the job done.
In Betrayal an old Legionnaire colleague now works for the Pentagon in an intelligence role. When he vanishes a call goes out through the old boy networks to alert Raglan and get him to start investigating.
His friend’s disappearance is only part of a larger conspiracy that will make Raglan a wanted and hunted man, not just through the US but into the lethal jungle of Honduras, but Raglan is more dangerous than anyone realises…
This hit many high points, Raglan is a man of high moral values and loyalties and the brotherhood of the Legion plays a big and interesting part in his character. Lots of both tradecraft and action in this along with a number of other interesting characters. This works because Raglan himself is all about focus and skill rather than personality, so having other strong characters provides good balance.
For those who like action thrillers this provides everything they could want, and more. Great stuff.

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Another great read from David Gilman. In this one, Raglan is asked to find a former Foreign Legion friend, a it seems that someone does not want him found.

As the body of the rises, Raglan finds himself involved in something much deeper.

As the tension piles on, the book gets more tense and the action more explosive.

Great fun for fans of Reacher, Rapp, Orphan X and similar.

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